Camp of 12th. Vermont Vol. M.3 miles below Warrenton JunctionVa.May 7th. 1863Dear Ben:

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Your letter written in April was duly rec'd. The reason I have not written oftener is that I supposed Mary would write all the news while she was with me & so save me the trouble. She is gone now and I must write myself. You see by the date of this that we have moved from our old camp some distance towards the front. We are entirely alone - twenty one miles from the rest of our brigade or any other infantry, unless some of Hooker's across the river. We are only ten miles from Kelly's Ford, & eight from

the bridge across the Rappahannock River. We are to move down to the bridge this forenoon & then shall be only four miles from Kelly's Ford. We are getting pretty near the front.

We came here last Saturday. Sunday morning Moseby's cavalry attacked some of our cavalry at the junction & got badly whipped. Our cavalry chased him clear to Warrenton, & when they left him he had but about 15 men left out of 110. Thirty were killed or wounded in the fight & how many in the pursuit is not known.

We get very encouraging accts of what is going immediately below us. Every thing is successful so far. At Kelly's Ford the Rebs were taken entirely by surprise & we did not loose a man in

crossing. Refugees & contrabands bring the report that our forces had surrounded a force of the Rebs. at Gordonville & that they would have to surrender. In a day or two the supplies will begin to pass over the road for a large portion of Hooker's army. We are guarding it for that purpose.

We are in good spirits tho' it has rained hard for two days & is rainy & cloudy today. One day's rain makes the mud terrible.

I dont know whether Mary is with you or at Bradford. If she is there tell her that I have written to her once at Charlestown & twice at Bradford since we came here & will write her again tonight at Charlestown. If she has left I wish you would take the

trouble to forward her letters to her. My health is first rate. Nelson is sick, - not very sick nor very well. He has a sort of slow fever. He has ben in my tent all the time & is very comfortable.

I have forgotten your Boston address & shall direct this to the care of Mr. Shaw.

Give my love to them all & Ruth especially. Write often & direct to Washington as usual. Our Post Master will find some way of getting our letters out to us.

Yours before breakfast -
in hasteRoswell Farnham

Much love to Mary if she is there. Tell her to write often.